VODKA INFUSION RECIPES FOR CREATING YOUR OWN SIGNATURE DRINK

Vodka Infusion Recipes For Creating Your Own Signature Drink

Aug 29, 2013

Vodka Infusion Recipes For Creating Your Own Signature Drink

There are few things that are more relaxing than sipping on a crisp, dry dirty martini with just the right olive-juice-to-vodka ratio. However, the spirit’s got such a bite to it that oftentimes we just don’t bother drinking anything but our preferred brand. To that end, there always seems to be an extra bottle of the stuff hanging around the house, untouched. That's where vodka infusion recipes come in.

There are only five simple steps between you and your own personalized flavor:

1.Pick your poison. Decide how you want your vodka to taste and stock up on the desired fruits, berries, peppers and herbs. (We also love Skittles and coffee beans for this craft!)

Infusing fruit? For every liter of vodka you’ve got to work with, use 1-3 pieces pieces of fruit, depending on their size. (For smaller fruits, like apricots or plums, 3-4 pieces are ideal, for medium-sized fruits like apples, two large pieces should suffice, and for large fruits like grapefruit, one is enough.)Herbs? Use 1-2 fistfulls of the herb, depending on how potent it is. For dried herbs or spices, half a fist to a fistfull is enough. Berries, candy or coffee beans? Two to four good fistfulls works.Peppers? As many as you want, depending on how spicy you want the final product to be.

2. Wash all fresh ingredients throughout. If you're using fruit, slice all pieces thoroughly and cut off any pits, seeds and stems. Leave berries whole, but remove the stems. Gently crush herbs to release flavor. Place all of the ingredients you intend to use in a clean, airtight jar.

3. Fill said container with vodka. Then seal it tight and put it somewhere safe, where it won’t be exposed to direct sunlight.

4.Wait two days to a week. Citrus and other fruit flavors generally require less time to infuse, whereas ginger and vanilla or coffee beans may require a week or more.

5. Sample and enjoy. It may take a few batches for you to achieve your ideal flavor profile, but no worries—drink, adjust and go for round two. In the meantime, just go heavy on the mixer.

Are you a bonafide cocktail aficionado? Check out our must-have bartending equipment in the slideshow above and make sure you have the tools to suit your skill.